Letters: Readers discuss the Run For the Wall, chaos at graduation ceremonies and Erdogan’s thuggish guards

Thanks for safety

On Monday morning, more than 400 veterans on motorcycles will ride through Kansas City on their mission from California to the Vietnam War Memorial — commonly called the Wall — in Washington, D.C.

This will be the 29th year for the Run For the Wall, which honors veterans, MIAs and POWs.

I would like to thank the Missouri Highway Patrol, Kansas City Police Department and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for escorting us from the Missouri state line to the Illinois state line each year. Only one other state, New Mexico, assists our riders with safe passage. Most of these officers volunteer their time.

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I am always so proud of Missouri when we ride through. All our riders know they will have 350 miles of safe motorcycle riding.

Jerry Ewing

Assistant platoon leader

Run For the Wall

Belton

Not exceptional

In the olden days of the 1950s and ’60s, we graduated from high school and from college. Those graduation ceremonies were very special and very solemn.

Our caps and tassels had to be just so. We wore our best clothes under the robes and our best shoes for that walk down the aisle. People knew it was not a party or a sports event, and actions fit the very special occasion that it was and that we had long waited for.

Now children graduate from kindergarten, middle school and high school, maybe even from preschool. It couldn’t possibly feel that special by the time they get to college.

I dare administrators and parents to urge their schools to cut back on two or three of these graduations. Make graduation special again.

Judy Murray

Centerview, Mo.

Streetcar burdens

The streetcar is coming, and a select few lucky people will pay for you to ride free. The “chosen” people reside within the small boundary along the route.

If the streetcar district is approved and its directors are approved in upcoming elections, these lucky people in the district will be asked to pay 70 cents per $100 of assessed value of their homes. But the businesses within the district will pay 48 cents per $100 of assessed value. Nonprofits, including churches, will pay 40 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Did you know that this special property assessment lasts 25 years? Also those “chosen” get to pay an extra sales tax for 30 years.

I am told the streetcar will increase the value of our homes. Great — now we will have a higher assessment on our property, which means we get to pay even more for other people to ride free.

Did you wonder where all these freeloaders will park their cars so they can hop on the street car? No doubt, they will clog up our narrow streets.

It seems to me that a heavy financial burden is placed on a small number of people while so many other people will benefit.

Not fair.

Elizabeth Black

Kansas City

A few months ago, I printed a map of the area that was to be taxed for the streetcar extension. My house had just missed being included. Then on May 16 in The Star I saw that the area has been extended to include all the way east to Campbell Street. (4A, “For streetcar election, ballot requests are due”)

So now it becomes my issue and I need to vote on it. Then the joke begins.

To get a ballot you need to call a number, and they will email you an application for a ballot. But you must include a copy of your voter ID and then submit it by May 23. But that gives me only six days to get all this paperwork completed just to receive a ballot.

I have several neighbors on my block who are in their 80s and 90s, and they have no access to the internet or any way to make copies of their voter IDs.

When I called the city the response was, “Well, yeah, that is a problem, but they could mail their ID in. But we could not return it.” And just how would they get the email with the application since they do not have computers? Again the response was, “Well, that is a problem.”

No, the problem is how poor this process is. I hope everyone votes against this streetcar extension. It is a joke.